It's Winter again.
My end-of-the-year gallimaufry of images celebrating the Winter Solstice and the holiday season.
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| Holiday greetings to all of you! |
Skies 🌝
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| Full Cold Moon - Dec 14 2024 7:55PM Last Full Moon of the year. |
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| At Latitude 47N Winters can be dark. One of the earliest sunsets of the year, December 18th 4:15PM. Amazing cloud reflections. |
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| They say Montana is Big Sky Country - But this Washington sky is pretty BIG. For scale, the tops of the mountain range in the lower right ... 43 miles away. [Be sure to click on images for better view.] |
Vintage Holiday Card ... 📪
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| A favorite from my Postcard Collection. I featured this card in my December 2014 post. Still a favorite, so wanted to send it to you again. Wow ... 10 years has flown by! |
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| Address side of the postcard. Postmarked 1907 ... stamp is missing. Mailed 117 years ago! |
As of 2023, about 10 trillion images were stored online via cloud
storage and other media platforms. Thanks to Google we can find a 1907 stamp.
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| A one cent stamp, 1907. |
Extended Flower Joy 🌺
Ok, here is the story. I love fresh cut flowers. In the image above, on the left, you'll see fresh Gerbera Daisies purchased on a Monday. On the right, same flowers on Friday. A couple are drooping, but I don't want to toss them out. Found an ice cream dish, added a little water, and positioned the Daisy on top. Easy to move around and add a little color to any part of the room. I don't think I'm unique in doing this sort of thing, but thought it worth sharing.
Holiday Decorations 🎄
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| A home in my neighborhood. (Not mine ☺) I like decorations when they are done tastefully. These neighbors did it perfectly. |
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| Many of the sailboats in the Marina have lights on their mast. Can you imagine living on a sailboat? |
Ships ⛴
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| Sometimes the light and clear air give me a good opportunity to capture one of our State Ferries. This Ferry sails between Seattle and Bainbridge Island. |
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| Despite the ship moving to the north, the wind was so strong, engine smoke is also blowing north. (In this image north is to the right.) You know it's rough when you see the white caps. |
Birds 🐦
Reposting 3 of my favorite hummingbird captures ...
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| My favorite Hummer at Sunset [First posted in 2023]  |
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| Here's lookin' at ya [First posted in 2023] |
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| More Hummers at Sunset [First posted in 2023] |
Thanks for stopping by and best wishes for the holidays.
John
Happy Solstice, Christmas and New Year from Sweden!
ReplyDeleteHappy Solstice and New Year and thanks for all the 2024 pictures!
ReplyDeleteHello John,
ReplyDeleteI do love your Hummers by sunset, beautiful photos. They are a favorite bird of mine. Love the moon and sunset images. Your vintage holiday card is pretty. The Gerbera flowers are lovely too, it is nice to have some fresh flowers in your home. The neighborhood decorations look nice. I can not imagine living on a boat in the winter time. Thank you for sharing your link and post.
Merry Christmas to you! I wish you all the best in 2025, a very happy and healthy New Year! Take care, have a great weekend. PS, I appreciate the comment you left on my blog.
Take care, have a wonderful weekend.
John, these images (and your blurbs) are just terrific, thank you for sharing. "My favorite Hummer at Sunset" was so beautiful it honestly startled me! If I don't talk to you again, I hope you have a very happy Christmas and New Year :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a capture, the hummer at sunset!! I LOVE it! #Saturdaycritters
ReplyDeleteSolstice…yay! Happy Holidays! The hummer images are special.
ReplyDeleteWell, this is my first visit to your blog, John, and I am really impressed by your lovely photos! I found you on Red's Hiawatha House blog. Your sunsets and hummingbirds are really amazing. Now I will take some time to scroll through some of your other posts. Your posts are so nice and I am happy to have found you. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to you!
ReplyDeleteLovely photos as always.
ReplyDeleteA Merry and Blessed Christmas to you and your family.
Merry Christmas John. Have a great holiday.
ReplyDelete...thanks John for this wonder post. The latitude of my home is 43 and I'm looking forward to longer days and shorter nights and a bit of sunshine would be nice too! I love the postcard. I wish you a very Merry Christmas and I hope that you enjoy many beautiful sunsets. Peace be with you.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and yours. Thanks for the great selection of photos :)
ReplyDeleteHello John :) and a very good morning from a very cold one here. Your sky shots are beautiful and so are your delightful Hummingbird images. Post cards go back a long way, but to actually own one marked 1907 is a great addition to your vintage collection. I can make out the surname Greenhalch, but that's all, perhaps you can decipher more than I. The greeting card is lovely and so are the Gerbera flowers. Did you forget to put an aspirin in the water? No matter, the single flower head looks pretty displayed in the pot. I also love freshly cut flowers in my home, but sometimes dry them so they last longer. Your neighbours Christmas decorations are fun, and it is nice to see lights on the sailboats, but I cannot imagine living on one. A lovely post John, and the velvety tones of Nat King Cole to listen to as well, thank you, and thank you for your Christmas good wishes which I also send to you, and also a happy and healthy New Year to you and your loved ones.
ReplyDeleteAll he best
Sonjia.
Joy is what I feel when I read your blog posts! I have been googling vintage Christmas scenes looking for inspiration to do a vintage painting, I love the card you shared. As Nat King Cole sings 🎶Merry Christmas to You!🎶 and as I say to you Merry Christmas John!
ReplyDeleteA great series of pictures, John, but the hands down favourite for me is the Hummer at Sunset. What a fabulous shot. Thanks for your friendship over the year and for your visits to my blog. All the very best for Christmas and the New Year. Hard to believe we are entering the 25th year of this century. David
ReplyDeleteI love your vintage collections, John. And I am always glad to see you in my news feed. Sending you lots of Christmas hugs and love!
ReplyDeletehey dear John !
ReplyDeleteyour blog has such a powerful vibe of positivity and joy that fills reader's heart with great sense of pleasure while reading your lovely and wonderful posts :)
i really loved this sharing full of holiday excitement and Glory of nature !
the birds shots are truly neat and Amazing Wow !!!
so pretty and delightful they look ,what a bliss to have them around and capture as beautifully :)
The sky images are beyond breathtaking !
i just feel entranced by the captivating glow of sunshine magic
you are so creative to put daisies in ice cream pot .they look so elegant wow
they made me smile with joy :)
thanks for gift of lovely post as always
best wishes to you and and family!
Beautiful photos. Merry christmas and the best for 2025.
ReplyDeleteHello John! Nice to see the hummers and I will be glad to see their return here. Lovely views in your area. Merry Christmas and best wishes for a wonderful new year.
ReplyDeleteLovely post . . . Merry Christmas, John !
ReplyDeleteyour blogging sister, Connie :)
Merry Christmas🎄🎄
ReplyDeleteThank you, John, for your Christmas and New Year’s wishes, and in my own language!!! So good. I love your blog because it’s so close to who you are and what you enjoy sharing. That makes it authentic. I wish you a blessed Christmas tomorrow and all the best for 2025!
ReplyDeleteBella luna y amo las imagenes de invierno y los pájaros. Te deseo una feliz navidad para ti y tu familia. Te mando un beso.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful collection of winter moments, John!
ReplyDeleteThe images of the Full Cold Moon and the stunning skies are incredible!
Love the vintage holiday card and the glimpse into the past.
And the hummingbirds at sunset are absolutely breathtaking. Wishing you all the best for the holidays, and thanks for sharing these lovely pieces of your world.
Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas dear John!
ReplyDeleteHello John, as I type this it's the last weekend of 2024.
ReplyDeleteI hope you had an enjoyable Christmas. I was fortunate to spend time with family ... sharing old memories and making some new ones :)
I enjoyed the photographs on this post.
Taking the opportunity to wish you and your family a Happy and Healthy New Year.
All the best Jan
PS Many thanks for your comments, kind thoughts and good wishes on the low carb diabetic this past year.
What an enviable view you've got there, John! I love sunset photos. And those birds especially the one with pink colors. Stunning! I miss receiving postcards. Now I'm also guilty but I just send digital cards. Hope you're having a wonderful holiday.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog, John. I hope you also had a wonderful time celebrating the holiday. I look forward to reading more of your posts this year.
DeleteHappy New Year✨
ReplyDeleteHello John,
ReplyDeleteJust stopping by to say Happy New Year, I wish you all the best in 2025!
Paso a desearte un lindo año . Te mando un gran abrazo.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, those hummingbird photos are sublime! I love your big skies as well. And I love ships of all kinds. And the moon. I missed the full Cold Moon this year, but hey you had me covered.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year!!
Another great post. Wishing you and yours a happy New Year and looking forward to seeing your adventures in 2025.
ReplyDeleteA great post with wonderful photographs. Have a very good starting this New year 2025, with good health, love, and happiness.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful collection of moments you've shared here! The images you’ve captured really bring the winter season to life, with the Full Cold Moon and those breathtaking skies. Your vintage holiday card and postcard from 1907 are such a lovely way to connect the past with the present. And I absolutely love the idea of giving those Gerbera Daisies a second life—such a simple and thoughtful touch to add brightness to the home.
ReplyDeleteI love the holiday postcard! What a treasure. Happy New year my friend, Diane
ReplyDeleteAnother wonderful blog post to close out the year 2024. When I come here, I never know what I'll find, but am certain to be delighted and surprised by what you include for your readers. By the way, I'm in complete agreement with you about understated tastefully done holiday decorations. A Happy New Year to you!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful images and a lovely sentiment! Happy new year, John!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post, John, and I hope your holidays were wonderful as well. I love the moon and sky photos!
ReplyDelete